Increasing Participation  Union Public Schools, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Union Public Schools  Urban school district in Tulsa, OK  18 school sites, food prep on site, self –op  66% free and reduced, 16,000 students  160 employees, $8.3 million budget  “Healthy” fund balance, increase in participation –about 5% per year in lunch and breakfast  Mission: To provide optimum nutrition, through engaged employees, and efficient and effective processes that delight our customers.

Union Public Schools/UCA

Foundation of Success  1. Leadership  2. Strategic Plan  3. Customer Focus  4. Information Management/Best Practices  5. Employee Focus  6. Evaluating & Improving Processes  7. Results!  From Baldrige Criteria

Leadership  Servant Leadership  Determines vision, mission, direction, purpose of Child Nutrition  Motivates employees to do their best.  Engages each employee, helping them to see what their role is in the organization and what the focus should be in every decision and action  Develops strategic plan and action plans

Leadership  Leaders multiply their leadership by empowering others to lead. They share their responsibility and authority with others to meet a greater need.  We provide management and leadership training for our managers/assistant managers. They develop goals for their site that align with department goals, which align with district goals. Evaluations are based on goal accomplishments.

Customer Focus: Quality Food  What do our students/customers want, need, expect from CN? Tools to determine these are surveys, focus groups, informal discussions, etc. (Board member story)  Quality Foods-  Taste testing with students  Write great specifications and purchase quality foods  Batch cook for freshly prepared food

Customer Focus: Quality Food  Culinary training and skill/knowledge development, chef involvement (article in Time), chef- sharing, borrow a chef, etc.. Ties into the popularity of television food shows, and demonstrates to customers you care.  More “from scratch cooking”  Adequate equipment and tools  Use of more Farm to School, local products  lunches-nutrition/?xid= share

Farm to School  A win-win for positive relationships with farmers, school cafeterias, & students  Fresher, healthier and more nutritious foods  Provides a boost to the local economy

Farm to School  People like this! It is very well accepted by communities.  Helps students learn about where foods come from.  Farm to Student Activities

Customer Focus: Variety & Choices  Students like more choices and variety. They don’t like to be told what to take (choice architecture).  Utilize fresh fruit and veggie bars, grab and go meals (appeals to expediency), more entrée and fruit and vegetable choices.  Serve a student- favorite entrée along with a from- scratch entree everyday.  Special diets and dietary needs

Customer Focus: Involvement  Involve students as much as possible in the development of menu ideas, naming foods or serving lines, in decor/art, choosing foods to serve, in promoting your program to peers

Customer Focus: Involvement  Educate them about foods and production of foods, such as kitchen tours, hands- on activities (making cowboy bread), Junior Iron Chef events, using kid’s recipes, nutrition education, farm tours, gardens, farmer visits to schools

Customer Focus: Service!  Providing service with a smile and with care, treating them special, knowing their names, correcting problems to their satisfaction and above their expectations. WOW service!  Relationship building.  Provide employee customer service training

Importance of Customer Service  Why Customers leave:  9% of customers leave because of competitors  10% of customers leave for other reasons (move, death, etc)  14% of customers leave because of dissatisfaction with product  67% of customers leave because of an attitude of indifference on the part of an employee.

Employee Focus  ENGAGEMENT! Every single employee to be engaged in their work and know their role and importance. (Read engagement definition)  Develop professionalism in your staff, pride will follow, and students will respond  Completion of culinary training-chef coats, certificates, higher pay. Food safety training, nutrition basics, regulations, customer service, safety training equips them for better performance.

Employee Focus: Engagement  Employee recipe contests, recipes on menus, management constantly focusing on quality in word and action to give employees a consistent message-what you focus on will be what they focus on.  Sharing best practices, visiting other schools and districts for ideas

Marketing!!  We must always “sell” ourselves and our products!  Promotions- Dr. Seuss, Brain Foods, free snacks/breakfasts during testing, etc.,  Free or bonus foods!  Social marketing- Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, webpage, Connect Ed  Radio, tv, newpaper articles highlighting your program-interview, send info, provide tasting, work with chefs and feature on media

Other Methods to Increase Participation  Increase number of free/reduced students  Community Eligibility  Breakfast in the Classroom  Data evaluation- look at menus and participation each day based on menus  Community Involvement-PTA, Health Department and other health organizations, community food banks, farmer’s markets  Very Descriptive menu/items names

Increasing Participation  It doesn’t have to be difficult! Invest your efforts in those things that your customers want-quality food and quality service, and never stop improving!  Questions? Feel free to contact Lisa Griffin at phone  Thanks!